In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a Texas software company is among those named in a lawsuit alleging a conspiracy among landlords to artificially inflate rental prices, the Fifth Circuit issues a rare precedential opinion in a venue dispute that pries a case away from U.S. District Judge Alan Albright, and that appellate court also found a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure rule was “arbitrary and capricious.”
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Litigation Boutique Burns Charest Nabs Longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney
Clay Mahaffey joined the Dallas-based firm after a 22-year run with the U.S. Department of Justice. He recently discussed his career, including a case that changed his perspective on attorney-client relationships, and why he made the move from DOJ with The Lawbook.
U.S. Trustee: At Least 26 Bankruptcy Cases Tainted Due to Judge Jones, Ex-Jackson Walker Partner Relationship
The U.S. Trustee filed notice Friday that at least 26 corporate bankruptcy cases in the Southern District of Texas are tainted and that $13 million in legal fees awarded to Jackson Walker should be revisited or declared invalid because of the undisclosed romantic relationship between Houston Bankruptcy Judge David Jones and former Jackson Walker law partner Elizabeth Freeman. The trustee also said the disputes should be transferred to the chief judge in the Western District.
The Texas Lawbook has an in-depth report.
P.S. — UH Law’s New Immigration Clinic Director, DVAP Pro Bono Awards, The “Why” Behind HBA’s Harvest Celebration
This week’s edition of P.S. features the fundraising outcome of the JL Turner Legal Association Foundation’s annual awards gala, an Arlington nonprofit that received federal funding to help prevent youth homelessness, select quotes from partners at Baker Botts and Hunton Andrews Kurth and LyondellBasell’s general counsel on why supporting this year’s Houston Bar Association Harvest Celebration was important to their organizations, this year’s recipients of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s pro bono awards, and the University of Houston Law Center’s newest legal clinic hire.
Three Senior In-House Lawyers on How to Gain (and Lose) their Business
During a panel discussion last Friday at the Texas Minority Counsel Program’s 31st annual conference in Houston, the three high-ranking in-house lawyers at Goldman Sachs, Energy Transfer and Republic National Distributing went into detail on what they look for in outside counsel, and also offered a plethora of ways law firms could immediately land in the doghouse — if not lose their business immediately.
Seatbelt Defect Case Nets $976M Jury Verdict
The Houston law firm of Kaster Lynch Farrar & Ball teamed up with Philadelphia firm Eisenberg, Rothweiler, Winkler, Eisenberg & Jeck to secure the massive award for client Francis “Ru” Amagasu, who was rendered quadriplegic following a rollover accident in 2017. The attorneys argued the seatbelt in Amagasu’s 1992 Mitsubishi 3000 GT, which was designed to allow four inches of slack in the event of a crash, actually caused his injuries by allowing his head to come into contact with the car’s roof, breaking his neck.
Six Flags Merges with Cedar Fair in $8B Deal
Weil in New York counseled Cedar Fair while Kirkland did so for Six Flags, including an M&A partner in Austin and a debt partner in Houston.
Match Scores Financial Concessions in Settlement with Google
Lawyers for Dallas-based online dating company Match Group were set to do battle with attorneys for internet search giant Google next week in a federal courthouse in San Francisco over allegations of antitrust abuses and breach of contract. But the two corporate powerhouses announced late Tuesday that they have settled their dispute and are best friends once again. The Match legal team included CLO Jared Sine, assistant GC Jeanette Teckman, senior counsel Stephen Myers and Dallas trial lawyer Jeff Tillotson.
P.S. — TMCP Fights DEI Vampires; Haynes Boone Did Not Ghost on 2023 Pro Bono Work
In this special Halloween edition of P.S., Natalie Posgate highlights details from the Texas Minority Council Program awards, the recipients of A&M Law’s 2023 Alumni Legacy Awards, NAMWOLF’s 2023 law firm MVP, November legal clinic dates in Dallas (the first one falling on Día de los Muertos), a Texas Access to Justice Foundation luncheon that honored a group of individuals for their efforts during the Texas Legislature’s 88th session, and how Haynes Boone celebrated the end of the ABA’s National Celebration of Pro Bono last week.
Three Diverse Managing Partners Talk Shop, Share Wisdom at TMCP
Three diverse managing partners — Quinn Emanuel’s Chris Porter, Reed Smith’s Omar Alaniz and Thompson Coburn’s Nicole Williams — swapped stories, described their leadership styles, shared their approach to DEI in the office and gave career development advice to young diverse attorneys at last week’s Texas Minority Council Program’s 31st Annual Conference in Houston. Natalie Posgate was in the room and has the highlights.